Posted
by
kdawson
on Wednesday July 14, 2010 @05:03AM
from the do-not-press-that-red-button dept.

newsblaze writes "Italy has a draft law on surveillance and eavesdropping that could jeopardize journalists and threaten freedom of expression. The UN doesn't like it and they are calling for the abolition or revision of the bill. Anyone not accredited as a professional journalist could be imprisoned for up to four years for recording a conversation without the consent of the person involved and then publicizing that information. Four years seems a bit draconian, but people should know they are being recorded. Across Italy, journalists and citizens protested against the draft law, and most journalists went on strike (only the newspaper published by the premier's brother was open for business). I couldn't discover what would trigger the maximum penalty. This is similar to a 2007 bill that was stopped — lobbyists never give up!"

yeah it's funny that in the US people are against the NSA wiretapping, while here in italy people wants to give up their freedom and be wiretapped while the government doesn't want it
also this law doesn't ban wiretapping per se, but it bans the public disclosure, so let's say someone records you while peeing, he can't publish it without your permission